Future: skal and kommer til å
Two ways to express future in Norwegian: 'skal' for plans/intentions and 'kommer til å' for predictions.
I can talk about future plans using 'skal' and make predictions using 'kommer til å'.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Vi skal reise i morgen.
We are going to travel tomorrow.
Det kommer til å regne.
It is going to rain.
Jeg skal lese boken i kveld.
I am going to read the book tonight.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Framtid i norsk
Norsk har ikke én enkelt fremtidsform. Vi bruker hjelpeverb:
skal + infinitiv (plan)
skal brukes for bevisste planer og intensjoner.
| Pronomen | Eksempel | Oversettelse |
|---|---|---|
| jeg/du/han/hun | Jeg skal reise i morgen. | I am going to travel tomorrow. |
| vi/dere/de | Vi skal spise middag klokka seks. | We are going to eat dinner at six. |
kommer til å + infinitiv (prediksjon)
kommer til å brukes for forutsigelser basert på tegn eller logikk.
| Eksempel | Oversettelse |
|---|---|
| Det kommer til å regne. | It is going to rain. |
| Hun kommer til å bli trøtt. | She is going to get tired. |
🇬🇧 'vil' means want, not future. 🇷🇺 Don't skip the future marker. 🇨🇿 'skal' is softer than Czech 'musím' — it expresses plans, not strong obligation.
Common Error Patterns
Confusing 'skal' (plan) with 'vil' (want) or 'kommer til å' (prediction)
Omitting the infinitive verb after the future modal
Vi skal reise i morgen.
We are going to travel tomorrow.
'skal' expresses a planned future action.
Det kommer til å regne.
It is going to rain.
'kommer til å' is used for predictions based on evidence.
Jeg skal lese boken i kveld.
I am going to read the book tonight.
Personal plan for the evening.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises